Skipping Stones
by Meiwa Chinmoku
Summary: In his calloused hands, there was a pebble – spherical, flat and gray, nothing out of the ordinary. She wondered to herself if there had been significance to why he brought her here. SasuHina, ends as NaruHina.


**Meiwa Says: **Hello to everyone! It's been so long, hasn't it? Well, I have been very very busy nowadays so I can't find any spare time to think of new stories, much less write 'em. So this is my first SasuHina/NaruHina one-shot! Just to tell you now, this doesn't end as SasuHina. My apologies for any disappointments. Please do not start an angry mob against me.

_Note(s): This one was a rather old piece, I think I started this three months ago with a small plot bunny. After I wrote the first part, I couldn't think of a way to finish it so I left it. Good thing I found it again haha! Oh by the way, the setting isn't the same with the one in the manga/anime. _Naruto didn't grow up without parents, but Kushina and Minato died when he was four_. He and Sasuke were friends before that and he had the Kyubi in him since birth.  
><em>

**Warning(s): **The most important one is that there is **little SasuHina** here and it doesn't end as such**. **But despite that, I hope you'll continue reading. I might write a sequel, no promises made. **Very minor cursing**.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything and everything that is related to Naruto. However, I _do_ own this plot and stealing it from me is kind of plagiarism. (Which, I hope, is original. If not, please report to me soon.)

* * *

><p><strong>Skipping Stones<strong>  
><em>Meiwa Chinmoku<em>

The incessant whistle of the cold wind did nothing to ease the awkwardness amongst them.

Her pale white eyes, once immature and undeveloped, were strong, calculating yet soft and gentle. It held a deep meaning to her character – she was the strong Hyuga heiress who fought her younger sister to claim her birthright once again. Everyone who knew her as a kunoichi would describe her as someone who finished the job quickly, and made sure not to kill anyone unless the situation would call for it.

He, however, was a different story. His obsidian black eyes had always been the same – intelligent, yet stern – and there was a point in time where he lost the little speck of warmth in them. But it seemed useless to talk about his past, so we shall not dwell on it. He was known for being the genius of their generation, the most eligible bachelor since his older brother. Frankly, that trait was passed down Uchihas.

In his calloused hands, there was a pebble – spherical, flat and gray, nothing out of the ordinary. She wondered to herself why he had been clutching on the rock for a long time and also wondered if there had been significance to why he brought her here. His only excuse this time was, "I need to confess."

She couldn't understand what he meant. Evidently, it would not be a love confession. His head was too thick and too cluttered with the massacre of his family to feel any love for her. He would find the right woman when he would finally clear his name.

"Why here?" the woman asked, her face placid and warm.

He did not answer her, nor acknowledge her question either. Instead, he brought the pebble closer to his face and examined it as if wondering if the surface was smooth enough or not. Embarrassed and awkward that he had plainly ignored her; Hinata shifted her weight to her other foot and let out a heartfelt sigh.

"Sasuke-san, I must go prepare for my mission. Would you please tell me why you brought me here?"

Even under the glittering stars of the blue, full moon, the lake mirrored back reflections – reflections of a boy and a girl, standing under a tree, one with a pebble in hand and the other a confused look on her face. No movement was made, no word was spoken, and the stillness of the area was almost eerie, if not for the cleansing aura she had brought along.

Not even the bustling of the villagers who were preparing to close up for the night reached their eardrums. This place was solace and was isolated, only brought about by ninjas when needed. Rarely did anyone use this place, for it was nothing very special and nothing very grand.

Finally, he spoke. "Do you know me, Hyuga?"

"Yes, I do, Sasuke-san. I have known you for a comfortable amount of time."

"Stop the formalities."

"It can't be helped," she replied firmly. "You know that."

"Whatever."

He stood still. Again, Hinata found herself wondering what was going through his mind, his deep and complicated mind. To her, Sasuke was a walking contradiction.

His eyes hardened and her lips tightened. Yes, they did know each other but very little of it, for neither of them sought it to be important to delve deeper into the other person. They knew their personal information, family matters and even a few of the things they liked or disliked. (For Sasuke liked very few things and preferred to mention the things he didn't.)

But personally, neither knew the other. Their greetings were in hushed whispers and shy waves. No one knew of their connection, of their friendship, but neither of them guessed it mattered to anyone but them. It wasn't as if anyone could forbid her to see him, the ex-missing-nin, for everyone knew she had the capability to protect herself.

However she knew better than to distrust him. She knew that he was just a confused man, a little child even, who needed the company of a mother. She knew how close he attaches himself to the ones most precious to him and how he was always second best with the Uchihas.

Yes, they knew little about each other, but they were similar in many, many ways. Only, no one saw it.

"It's almost midnight," she tried again. It was always hard to press a reply from him.

"What does that mean to me?"

"Nothing. But I need to go."

"Then why are you still here?"

Hinata blinked. "Because you asked me to."

"Hn."

Then with one quick motion, he threw the pebble across the water and it bounced twice, before sinking into the depths of the deep, mossy lake. Her mouth opened, not entirely sure what to make of it, but his growl scared her from speaking. He was so very frightening.

"_Fuck_."

"I don't understand." She was awfully confused. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Again, he did not reply. He bent down with his eyes glancing around quickly. Briefly, his hands ran through some jutted rocks and small ryos on the soil, but he left both objects alone and continued to search for something in particular. She resisted the urge to offer her help.

Uncanny the silence was. There was a thick tension, though somehow a part of it was very soothing, and she couldn't bring herself to formulate a few sentences. This scene played out one she was familiar with, one that she didn't want to remember for it would only bring tears to run down her pale, round cheeks and her strength will have crashed down. Her defenses were all up now. It was like a battle with rogue ninjas, only she needed to protect her heart.

"Sasuke-san, I must leave, I –"

"Do you know where the sun rises?" he remarked silently, looking at the stars in the midnight sky. Slowly, he raised his body to stand firmly, a new, smoother pebble in his hand.

"The east. Common knowledge."

He looked at her. "Do you know why?"

"No."

"I don't either."

He rendered her speechless. She watched with her lower lip bitten, wanting to remove the self doubt building inside of her. The walls she had were slowly melting away as he dusted off the dirt covering the flat pebble. For a moment, his eyes wandered to hers before he repeated his actions earlier on.

The rock skipped three times. Sasuke smirked.

"I've said enough."

Before she could question his strangeness, smoke covered the area what was once Sasuke. And she found herself crying once again.

* * *

><p>Three to four years have passed since their encounter, but it had been so long she lost track of time. Things sped by quickly, yet she could still remember every single detail of that day. The way the crickets chirped in the horizon, the way the moon's rays casted a light in the murky area they were in, and the way his posture seemed so different from the normality. She tried pushing the memories back and it worked. Her feelings had no sooner evaporated.<p>

However those three to four years were full of many disappointments, one naming his disappearance.

As Naruto became Rokudaime, ties between the nations started to become frequent, but more enemies had risen. One that stood out in particular was a copy of the deceased sannin, Orochimaru, who wanted to redo the psycho's 'handiwork'. This mission was ranked for only ANBU members due to its severity and despite Naruto's protests, Sasuke wanted to take this mission.

Mission requests started to pile up and with all the paperwork needed for the Hokage, Naruto found the stress to be more than overwhelming, especially combined with Sasuke's continuous pestering, a feat definitely out-of-character for the stoic man. Eventually, he couldn't keep holding onto the decision to present the S-ranked mission to another ANBU member, seeing as no one else wished to take it. Rumors say the Uchiha heir threatened them all.

Supposedly it was a simple assassination mission, quick and simple, designed to be done in one week. One week had passed. Two, quite faster. And soon, ten weeks flew by without another word from the dark-haired man.

Not everyone took this lightly. Naruto used most of the idle Rookie Nine to search for any signs of him, minus Hinata for she was helping him with his paperwork. The two found themselves relying in each other more than usual, and one date grew to two, then five, then it became an everyday sort of thing, usually done in their spare time. They were each other's only comfort.

After tedious months of searching, it was concluded that Sasuke died in the battlefield, after having retrieved his ANBU armor. They found the Orochimaru-copycat's body near Kumogakure and freed all his prisoners from an underground chamber. But it did not erase the sadness of losing their comrade.

A memorial service was performed for Sasuke. Only those closest to him grieved dearly, as some villagers were still bitter with him and thought him to be a traitor. During this period, Naruto and Hinata were officially lovers.

Her feelings for Sasuke had not vanished, she realized. But she needed them to, and the only other man she had loved was Naruto. This time, he returned her affections.

A few months after the service, they were getting engaged.

Supposedly it would be a small wedding, comprised of only their closest friends from Konoha as well as Gaara's company. They had planned it to be small and quiet and quick. Only, Tsunade announced it to the other Kages and soon everyone wanted to invite themselves to the grandest wedding of the century.

But when Naruto eagerly found a pebble at the side of the river in the Hyuga compound, her memories washed over her like a cold bucket of water.

"Naruto-kun, what is that?"

The blond Hokage flipped his robes over and bent down on one knee, picking up a perfectly sculpted stone and grinning with happiness. She walked her way next to him, holding a box of bento for lunch.

"I remember as a child, when Okaa-chan and Otou-chan used to take me to the Uchiha compound, Mikoto-san would give us each a flat pebble." He raised the object in his hands for emphasis, smiling sadly at the memory of his best friend.

It suddenly dawned unto her that what Sasuke had done to her years ago had an implication. When he said, _'I've said enough'_, it meant that the skipping of stones had significance. She couldn't believe how closed-minded she was about it.

"Does it mean anything?" she asked quietly.

The Rokudaime stood up and rubbed the stone against his fingertips. After a brief second, he threw it against the smooth surface of the river, creating three large ripples, breaking the water's tranquility. Hinata did not miss the large beam on her husband's face.

"_Perfect_."

She blinked. "Sorry, Naruto-kun?"

"Mikoto-san called it the _'Language of Skipping Stones.'_" he laughed and she smiled. "One means _'Hello'_, two means,_ 'I'm sorry,'_."

Her smile faded. Sasuke's first try had skipped twice. Was he trying to tell her something?

"Then...what does three mean?"

Naruto brought her closer to his arms, burying his face at the crook of her neck lovingly. "Three means _'I love you'_."

The bento box was dropped.

* * *

><p><strong>Meiwa Says:<strong> This idea came to me from a story I once read, not in ff. I just thought, hey, wouldn't a good confession be unique? And yes, by the way, Sasuke was confessing back.


End file.
